It'd probably be in Cincy's best interest to mail it in. The way I see it, the Jets' season is on the line and they'll have to show all their cards to pull out the win. The Bengals can just play vanilla football and hold all their big plays and schemes off the table. So when they rematch the following week, the Bengals will already have a game's worth of experience on them, while the Jets are essentially playing the "real" them for the first time. ...or they can be real dicks about it and try to injure every important Jet, then let them win. It'd set up a cake-walk first round for them.
Honestly I think we are better then the Bengals (when we play our best) . I think you will get our best this week so I won't root for New England but instead just a Jets win. BTW I'd love to see the Texans get (Matt Schuab helped me win a fantasy football title so I feel in debt) so if we won and they get in it's be win win for me.
Excellent point. They'll know whether they even have a shot at the 3rd seed by the time we play anyway. Really, the argument of whether they have anything they COULD choose to play for ends 4 hours before gametime when the final score of the Pats-Texans is in the book. If the Pats win, our game is irrelevant to seeding for the Bengals.
I fully agree. All season long, the Bengals have played top level football against the teams in their division, sweeping all their division rivals. And yet they are 10-5. So they are 4-5 against non-division opponents. Bottom line - outside their division, the Bengals play down to their opponents. Bad teams have been hanging with the Bengals all season but they have found ways to win. If Sanchez has a good game, and he has been improving a lot in the last few games as far as protecting the ball, then I think the Jets can beat anyone including the Bengals. Of course, I am scared shitless of Sanchez having a bad game.
who said they can't...they may just not be given the chance to. i think just get in and see where the # 1 defense and # 1 rushing attack gets us
Basically, everything will be decided before. If the Patriots win, it means nothing to the Bengals. If the Patriots lose, a win makes them the 3 seed.
i do not see the pats losing on sunday...i have a very strong feeling we may not see their starters for more than 1 quarter if at all on sunday night
They lost to Oakland who we dominated, they nearly lost to KC today, they struggled twice with Cleveland. Maybe the AFC North isn't as good as people think it is. I said it weeks ago that we were a better team then them. I think we will prove it two weeks in a row. Their offense has struggled all season to put up points. Revis will shut down Ocho Cinco, our run D will stop Benson forcing Palmer to utilize guys who have no playoff experience. Granted our QB doesn't have any but we have plenty of guys who have been in the playoffs and even played in Super Bowls. What scares me is that their D isn't bad so if they can slow down the run they will force Sanchez to beat them with his arm. I think if they keep the calls conservative by running alot of screens and slants he can have a very good game. I also think using Brad Smith in the Seminole will keep them on their heels.
DUE TO THE FACT OUR GAME IS AT 8 THIS HELPS US ALOT If the Patriots win earlier in the day, the Bengals CANNOT get the 3rd seed. SO CHEER FOR THE PATRIOTS They also might try as hard because they know if the Jets win, they will have to play the Jets the very next week in Cincinnati in a playoff game. So they might just scout us out and not take this game seriously at all.
i cannot believe i will root for the patriots 2 weeks in a row the bengals do find themselves in a very unique situation....they really are able to check us out and practically scrimmage with full view of the playbook before a playoff matchup... has this ever happened before?
Is that really something to play for though? Unless they meet the Pats in the AFC Conference game (where home field advantage would come into play), does it really matter being the 3rd or 4th seed? I can't imagine them really caring one way or another who they play in the first round.
Like I said earlier we do not need the help pf the Patriots to make the playoffs. We only need their help to not play them in the playoffs. Fuck them, I'll root for the Jets and whatever they do they do.
Actually this isn't the only matchup where one team is going to scout another team The Packers and Cardinals are playing both week 17 and in the first round. Their week 17 game has no meaning to either of them. The Eagles and Cowboys are playing week 17, the winner of that game gets home field advantage for their playoff matchup in the first round. I think Dallas/Philly certainly have a wierd situation.
Well if the Patriots win, the Bengals will have nothing to play for and won't play their starters and more or less scout us out. If the Patriots lose the Bengals can go for the 3rd seed, but why would you want the 3rd seed? that would mean if the Bengals did win in the first round they would have to play san diego which looks alot harder than playing the colts.
Judging from your comment, I get a feeling Manning has never been sacked before. Manning would have stepped up and completed a pass? How would he know that he being pressured from his blind side? Do u know what a blind side is anyways?
Bengals have nothing to play for next week...but then again, neither did Pitt vs. Buffalo (in Buff) in 2006 and they beat Buffalo and got the NYJ into the playoffs. Nothing is guaranteed....
There's a difference between a team playing a spoiler and a team guaranteed to go to the playoffs that is risking the health of its starters. If Cincy puts in their starters, I'll be watching for Calvin Pace to lay a big hit on someone early and make Marvin Lewis think twice.
